Nepal earthquake

WaterAid's priority is to provide water and sanitation assistance to communities affected by the massive earthquake in Nepal.

News

27 Apr 2015

On Saturday 25 April, a devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal. It's the country's worst earthquake in 80 years and has already claimed the lives of more than 7,000 people.

WaterAid has been working in Nepal for over 20 years . Many homes and other buildings have been badly damaged, and with continuing aftershocks likely, many people are still sleeping out in the open. Electricity and water supplies have been badly affected, as have communications.

Map showing the epicentre of the earthquake.Credit: Guardian

The epicentre of the quake was the Gorkha district, where a lot of our work is concentrated. The district has been devastated and we will need to rebuild. But now it is crucial to ensure that people can access safe water and make sure that human waste is safely disposed to prevent outbreaks of diarrhoea, cholera and typhoid that pose a serious risk to survivors.

Our priority is to provide immediate water and sanitation assistance to affected communities while we plan for the long-term rebuilding of the country. Our regional team is now assessing the situation and teams from Bangladesh, Pakistan and India are on standby to assist. Working with our partner organisations, measures are likely to include the provision of safe water, water purification tablets, emergency sanitation measures and hygiene kits.

A man inspects the damage caused by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Nepal on Saturday.Photo: EPA/Narendra Shrestha

"We will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves. Our thoughts are with the Nepalese people at this time," says Girish Menon, WaterAid's Deputy Chief Executive and Director of International Programmes.

people in Nepal don't have access to safe water.

Over 17 million people don't have access to adequate sanitation in Nepal.

1,927 children die every year from diarrhoea caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation in Nepal.